Mercury switch with plunging core



June 7, 1932. c. HATAY MERCURY SWITCH WITH PLUNGING CORE Filed May 1, 1929 Hls Attorney.

Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES HATAY, F BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK MERCURY SWITCH WITH PLUNGING CORE Application M May 1, 1929, Serial in.

My inventionrefers to mercury switches and more especially to the kind of switches comprising a container enclosing a body of mercury and a magnetizable body floating in the mercury, this body being depressed deeper into the mercury by means of a magnetic field acting in .the vicinity of the container. By thus depressing the floating .body into themercury, the mercury level in '50 the container. is caused to rise and bridge the distance between ,the ends of the two electrodes.

As is well known to those skilled in the art switch devices ofthis kind require for their 1" operation a comparatively large amount of energy in order to overcome the considerable lifting forces exterted on the iron core by the mercury. In addition this arrangement involves the disadvantage that the current Y is interrupted between the mercury and the electrodes whereby the electrode material is readily dissolved in the mercury. The making and breaking of the circuit also occurs in proximity to the glass wall'of the container, whichis thereby soon destroyed-.-

It is an object of my invention to provide a switch of this type, which is free from the drawbacks enumerated above.

In order to enable the plunging body or core to be depressed into themercury with the least possible amount of energy, I employ a core consisting partly of iron and partly of a vessel containing mercury. The mercury in the vessel is usedfor making and breaking the contact and therefore a contact making and breaking between the mercury and the electrodes is avoided. Switching is here eflected within the mercury vessel mounted on the plunging core so that the container wall is not affected thereby. a This small vessel mounted on the iron '.core can be madeof quartz or some other material resistive against the action of the are without requiring great cost.

s In the drawing aflixedto this specification 359,653, and in, Germany m a, 1928.

and forming part thereof two modifications of a switch embodying my invention are illustrated diagrammatically'by way of example.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is an .axial section of the first modification, while Fig. 2 is a similar view of the second form.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 1 is a tubular container and 2 and 3 are metal wires extending axially into this container from the top and bottom thereof, respectively, and forming the electrodes. ,4 is the body of mercury partly filling the container and 5 is a tubular iron core floating in the mercury. A small vessel made of quartz or the like is mounted on top of the iron core. It consists of an inner tube 7 closed at the bottom, an outer tube 8 and a flange 6 connecting the top ends of the tubes. The inner tube 7 extends into the iron-core 5, while the outer' tube 8 surrounds the outer wall thereof.

The core 5 and the quartz vessel mounted thereon'are immersed in the mercury so far that only,the top ends are free. The inner tube 7 of the vessel is filled with a. body of mercury 9.

:If by means of a magnetic field sur rounding the container 1 the core 5 is pulled down into the mercury, the mercury 1n the container 1 will rise above the flange 6 and will unite with the mercury 9 in the tube 7. so that the contact is formed between the two mercury bodies, while the electrodes 2 and 3 do not take part therein,being always immersed in the two mercury bodies. On the core rising again, the mercury in the tube 7 current, such break will take place only at one point, at which the two bodies of mercury separate at the last moment. However, such break will occur always at a different point, so that even after frequent switching no injurious local heating of the flange 6 can occur.

. In the modification illustrated in Fig. 2 the iron core 15 has the form of a tube of greater diameter. The quartz vessel is'formed again of two concentric tubes 16 and 18, the inner one being of less height than the outer one and the two tubes being connected with each other by an annular bottom 19. The vessel is filled with a body'of mercury 17 up to the top edge of the inner tube 18. It the iron core 15 is depressed by the action of a solenoid 20 which surrounds the container 1, the mercury level in the container 1 rises'in the tube 18 until the mercury flows over the top edge of the tube 18 and unites with the body of mercury 17 in the vessel. Owing to the fact that theoutertube is longer than the inner tube of the vessel, the are which may form when switching is kept away from the walls of the glass container 1.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of con- 'struction shown and described for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

In the claims affixed to this specification no selection of any particular modification of the invention is intended to the exclusion of other modifications thereof and the right. to substantially make claim to any modification not covered by these claims is expressly reserved. 1

I claim y 1. A mercury switch comprising 9. container, a body of mercury in said container, a core floating on said body, a vessel on said core, said vessel having a continuous horizontal rim, another body of mercury in said vessel, said bodies of mercury :merging and separating on said rim upon appropriate movement of said core, and an electrode extending into each body of mercury.

2. A mercury switch comprising a container, a body of mercury in said container, 9. core floating on said body, a vessel of annular cross-section on said core, another body of mercury in saidvessel, said vessel having a cross-section on said core, another body of mercury in-said vessel, the inner wall of said vessel being lower than the outer one and having a horizontal rim on which said mercury bodies merge and separate on appropriate movement of said core, and an electrode extending into each body of mercury.

4. A mercury switch comprising a container, a body of mercury in said container, a core floating on said body, a vessel supportedby said core, another body of mercury in said vessel, a passage through said core for mercury flow to connect said bodies, and an electrode extending into each body of mercury, said vessel having a continuous horizontal rim on which said mercury bodies merge and separate on appropriate movement of said core.

5. A mercury switch comprising a container, a body of mercury in said container, a core floating on said body, a vessel of arc resisting material on said core, a body of mercury in said vessel, said vessel having a continuous rim on which said bodies of mercury merge and separate on appropriate movement of said core, and an electrode extending into each of said bodies of mercury.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

CHARLES ATAY.

CERTIFICATE. OF CORREGTlON Patent No. 1,861, 630. June 7, 1932.

CHARLES HATAY.

ted specification of the Page 2, line 35, for the Letters Patent should m to the record certified that error appears in the prin abovenumbered patent requiring correction as follows: word "substantially" read subsequently; and that the said be read with this correction therein that the same may confer of. the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day It is Y hereby of November, A. D. 1932.

M. J. Moore,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

(Seal) CERTlFIGATE, 0E CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,861,630. June 7, 1932.

oHARLEsnATAY.

nte'd specification of the Page 2; line 35, for the d Letters Patent should conform to the record It is'hereby certified that error appears in the pri above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: word "substantially" read subsequently; and that, the sai he read with this correction therein that the same may of. the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day oi November, A. D. 1932.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Aeting- Gommissiouer of Patents. 

